Apple This

Target, in my opinion, is one of the greatest stores on the planet. The ones around my neck of the woods literally have everything: clothes, electronics, movies, toys, games, cameras, home goods, food and even a Starbucks, Pizza Hut and food court. So, whenever I go into Target, I can’t help but say to myself, “How could this place possibly get any better?” By adding an Apple store, that’s how.

Reuters had originally reported that Target would be installing special displays for Apple products in concordance with a new effort known as “The Shops of Target”, something the retailer announced last week. Target will begin with 25 stores around the country, which is the same number that was initially reported by Apple Insider last week as well.

The Cupertino giant already offers a plethora of devices and accessories at Target, though selection is limited to iOS products like the iPhone, iPod and iPad. The mini Apple stores found within other big name retailers, like Best Buy, include all of that with the addition of Apple computers.

A spokesman for Target could not confirm nor deny whether or not these new mini Apple stores inside of Target would include Apple’s computers as well, though it stands to reason that, if Apple is making a big deal out of it like they are, we may very well see Apple computers added to the list.

Other companies, like Wal-Mart, already offer limited selections on laptops though none offer complete Apple computers. Should Target begin retailing Apple’s famous computers, we could very well see Target become the next big thing in the retail market. I know that this definitely excites me because it gives me yet another thing to look at during one of my many trips to Target on the weekends.

Source: CNET – Target confirms plans for mini Apple stores

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A new report about Apple is claiming that the company is planning on updating the “Apple Store” retail app  on iOS to include support for build-to-order Mac purchases during a complete retail overhaul.

According to sources at MacRumors, Apple is planning on revamping the Apple Store application for iOS  devices along with other upgrades planned for Apple’s online and build-to-order retail operations.  Sources have indicated that this new updated app will arrive on Sunday and come with “full support for customizing build-to-order Macs” identical to the wide range of options currently available on the Apple online store.

The current Apple Store app only supports stock configurations as well as a few options like AppleCare and One to One. After the update, Apple customers will supposedly be able to customize their processor, memory, hard drive and other hardware options for each Apple mode. Customers will even be able to get select software titles for reinstallation.

Apple has also planned a series of major updates to both the online procedures as well as the in-store procedures. These are also supposed to take place on Sunday, May 22, 2o11. Apple took the order status feature on its website offline on Friday and is set to bring it back online in order to update the systems.

In addition to that, Apple has also begun amassing iPads that will run an updated version of Apple’s in-house RetailMe software and will be distributing these iPads to retail employees. Retail stores for Apple will also hold early morning and evening meetings that are mandatory for employees. These meetings will be held in order to implement the changes set for Sunday.

Apple released the first retail store application for iOS back in June which allowed customers to browse and purchase Apple products and accessories. It also helped customers stay up to date with in-store events and also allowed them to make appointments for Genius Bar and One to One.

Apple also updated the Apple Store app to allow customers to check in for appointments while at Apple retail locations. Apple has also reportedly developed an internal Concierge application for iOS which allows retail employees to manage queues as well as appointments.

Source: AppleInsider – Apple to add build-to-order Mac options to ‘Apple Store’ iOS app

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While I am not a huge Apple computer fan, I will give them credit for one thing and that is their all-in-one computers. I’m talking, of course, about their computers that have everything you need built right into the monitor, leaving you with no need to have a big tower cluttering up your workspace.

Well, Apple is back with a brand new batch of all-in-ones and has just unveiled their latest iMac refresh about a week ago. These new iMacs come with a new selection of AMD Radeon HD graphics cards, quad-core Intel Sandy Bridge processors and solid-state storage options to nobody’s great surprise.

The latest version of the iMac was designed to be faster and it quite literally is the fastest version yet. Faster internal components along with external Thunderbolt ports turn this newest iMac, which is slated as a family-friendly eye-catcher, into a formidable powerhouse that may even cater to some professional users.

The pricier configuration of the newest iMac will get you a 27-inch iMac with a 3.1GHz Core i5 processor. However, if you want to drop an extra $200, you can upgrade to a 3.4GHz Core i7. You get four cores either way. The i5 version comes with 4GB of 1333MHz, DDR3 RAM which is installed as two 2GB DIMMs. You also get a 1TB 7,200RPM SATA drive as well. The 27-inch display is a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution IPS panel that has an integrated AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory.

This, along with the pair of Thunderbolt ports, gives you a new way to power multiple external displays. It seems possible that you may be able to power as many as four, thanks to the dual-channel nature of each port. However, the 27-inch display is pretty spacious on its own and is certainly enough.

Aside from faster internals, there isn’t a lot of difference between this latest iMac than its predecessor. It has the same design that the past few iterations have had. There are some problems that a good number of users are reporting like the SD slot being uncomfortably close to the DVD-ROM slot and the DVD=ROM slot still not accepting Blu-ray discs. There is also the placement of the power button which has many users accidentally turning their device off whenever they go to tilt the display.

Nobody buys an iMac, or any Apple computer for that matter, if they are looking for something to game on. However, this new iteration does run Portal 2 and Half-Life 2 at full resolution with no problems. Just don’t try to max out Crysis 2 or anything like that. 1080p videos also load very quickly and cycle just fine, which is always nice to have.

Pro-level users, like those who spend a lot of time in editing programs like Photoshop, Premiere or REDCINE, could get a lot of satisfaction out of this device. The internal SSD, which is a $500 option for 256GB, definitely helps in this department and so could an external storage device connected to one of the Thunderbolt ports.

Average, everyday users might find all of this a bit too much for them, however. The 21.5-inch model, which is entirely more affordable and still very capable, seems to be a better choice. However, this new iMac is still very pretty, very easy to set up and very good in terms of performance and flexibility.

Source: Engadget – Apple iMac (spring 2011) review

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One of the premier cyber security companies in the world, LIGATT Security International, has just announced that their flagship product LocatePC, which just so happens to be the most downloaded computer tracking program on the internet, is now available for all Mac computers under Apple.

LocateMac, as it is being called, will allow a user to track their Apple laptop or PC in the extremely unfortunate event that it gets stolen. Apple users will be able to track their computer anywhere in the world with the LocateMac tracker. The tracker runs unobtrusively in the background without the need of any icons or pop-ups. This invisible software is designed to work on all Apple computers and will run you $29.95 for a one year subscription.

LIGATT Security International creates and designs affordable products primarily for business structures as well as the average consumer. Security on laptops is a growing issue and LIGATT is dedicated to minimizing laptop and computer theft. One thing that LIGATT has discovered is that it is far more important to individuals to retrieve and protect sensitive data on their laptops or computer as opposed to retrieving the physical device.

According to Director of Marketing for LocatePC and LocateMac Tialer Maxwell, “We have received more requests from our retailers for the Macintosh version of LocatePC. We expect LocateMac to surpass sales of all our other products.”

In a recent study conducted by The New York Times, the largest percentage of business laptops that are stolen or lost  occur when an employee is either working out of the office or traveling. The study also showed that about 40% of laptops were lost off-site while another third were lost in transit or travel.

LocateMac has every feature that comes with LocatePC including:

• Geolocation – Using the mobile tracker apps for the iPad or iPhone, you won’t have to depend on any outside party during recovery. You can receive alerts each time your computer’s IP address changes.
• Video Snap Shot – If there is a webcam connected to your laptop or computer, LocateMac will take a snap shot every 30 seconds of the person or everything in the room. These photos will then be automatically updated to the LocateMac database with a date and time stamp.
• Key Logging – This records all the keystrokes made on your laptop or computer by the thief. If the thief logs into a social media site, you will have access to their real name, username, password etc…
• Text Message – This allows your computer to text you or email you every time the IP address changes on your computer.
• Inventory – Takes a complete inventory of all of your devices like iPod, iPhone etc…
• Police/Insurance Report – Click a single button to have a detailed PDF report generated for you to send to the police or insurance company.
• Unlimited Monitoring – Monitor as many devices as you need to from a single account.
• Text to Screen – Send a message to your computer screen that the thief can visibly see.
• File Recovery – Allows you to have constant access to certain files for added security.
• iPad/iPhone – Track your stolen device directly from your mobile Apple devices.

With this tracker it seems like even if your Apple computer or laptop is stolen, you will be able to find it immediately, relieving some of the stress of a stolen device.

Source: PR Newswire – Locate Stolen or Missing Apple Computers With LocateMac

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